Bill > AB1738

This bill mandates that by July 1, 2027, cities, counties, and cities and counties must offer homeowners the option of conducting remote inspections for various types of work on one- or two-family dwelling units, using videoconferencing or recorded photos and videos, for a specified list of improvements including water heaters, HVAC systems, reroofs, certain electrical and plumbing work, solar panels, and accessory dwelling units, with some additional types of work, like drywall and insulation, being subject to the inspector's discretion. These remote inspections must not cost more or take longer than in-person inspections, and existing legal protections for government entities and employees regarding inspections will apply to these remote processes. Local agencies can conduct onsite audits to verify the accuracy of homeowner representations during remote inspections and may temporarily ban homeowners from using remote inspections if they are found to have willfully misrepresented the work, and they can also enter into agreements with other jurisdictions to enforce these bans. Furthermore, by the same date and annually thereafter, these local agencies must report to the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on their remote inspection program's implementation, including the number of remote versus in-person inspections and their failure rates, and HCD will have the authority to request this information, post it online, and take enforcement actions to ensure compliance, with the bill deeming this oversight a statewide concern applicable to all cities, including charter cities.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1738